The US aluminum trihydrate market strengthened in September 2026 as downstream procurement, rising overseas production costs, and shipping bottlenecks supported prices. In contrast, Bosnia’s market faced a quarterly correction as European buyers drew on accumulated inventories and lower caustic soda costs eased manufacturing pressures, highlighting diverging regional price trends. US aluminum trihydrate market gains on demand and supply constraints US aluminum trihydrate prices increased 2.38% month over month in September, supported by purchases from wire and cable manufacturers, electrical infrastructure compounders, and electric vehicle (EV) component producers. Demand remained particularly resilient for applications involving low-smoke cable compounds and flame-retardant materials....
China-based China Aluminum International Engineering Co., Ltd. (CHALIECO) has won a bid for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract valued at approximately USD 833 million for a proposed alumina project in Vietnam, adding to investment activity in the country’s mineral processing sector. The project, being developed by Binh Phuoc Ore Mining and Beneficiation Joint Stock Company, is designed to process 2.4 million tonnes of alumina annually. The proposed contract is valued at around CNY 5.595 billion (USD 839.04 million), with completion expected within 27 months of the contract’s effective date. CHALIECO to oversee turnkey refinery development Under the proposed turnkey arrangement, CHALIECO’s responsibilities will cover the full project delivery process, from...
Grow with
AL Circle
Orbite Aluminae Inc. announces that it has completed its previously disclosed public offering of units in the maximum contemplated amount of $16M. The Offering is supplemented by the previously announced binding subscription commitment for $40 million in additional units from Crede Capital Group, LLC, a U.S. based institutional investor, such additional financing to be completed in upcoming successive tranches by way of private placement (subject to regulatory and shareholder approval). Funds raised today combined with those under the subscription commitment total $56 million. Each Unit consists of $1,000 principal amount of 7.5% unsecured unsubordinated debentures and 875 share purchase warrants, such principal amount of Debentures is convertible into shares at a price of $0.40 per share...
Rio Tinto say a photo of alumina dust escaping from its Yarwun wharf this week was nothing to worry about, stating the plume posed no threat to health or the environment. Rio Tinto say a photo of alumina dust escaping from its Yarwun wharf this week was nothing to worry about, claiming the plume posed no threat to health or the environment. According to the Gladstone observer, a woman who previously worked at the company’s Gladstone refinery took a photo of the dust which she says signals an alumina overflow", which happens when skirts break. "Today it was really bad, just pouring out ... it was like it was snowing," she said earlier this week. However a Rio spokesperson said the dust presented "no threat to health, or harm to the environment". He said the area was developing engineering...
Cape Alumina has officially announced it has abandoned its $1.2 billion Pisolite Hills mining project in far north Queensland's Cape York region but will push ahead with its nearby Bauxite Hills project. Last month, the State Government banned mining on the Pisolite Hills site, after declaring the Steve Irwin Reserve and the surrounds of the Wenlock River a 'Strategic Environmental Area'. Cape Alumina managing director Graeme Sherlock says the decision has already led to job losses. "Unfortunately the company has to pull back and unfortunately has had to make a few people redundant which is very disappointing just before Christmas and in the current economic climate," he said. "We will pick ourselves up and push forward and we just hope shareholders stay with us and hope that we can...
The decision by mining giant Rio Tinto to close its Gove alumina refinery in the Northern Territory may face a legal challenge. Representatives of the Australian Workers Union met with Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles today to discuss the closure. The union claims Rio Tinto signed an agreement in 2011 binding it to refining alumina if it was to continue mining for bauxite at the site. Last week, Rio Tinto announced plans to shut down the refinery but continue its mining operations. AWU national secretary Paul Howe said today's discussions included whether the company had a legal obligation to keep the refinery operating. "Why hasn't legal action commenced, why haven't injunctions been put in place to stop the shutdown of the refinery?" he asked. Audio: NT Govt seeks legal advice over...
RIO Tinto boss Sam Walsh has said the carbon tax is not to blame for the closure of its Gove alumina refinery in the Northern Territory. Mr Walsh, speaking in Sydney today after an investor briefing, said that while the carbon tax had obviously put pressure on energy-intensive industries, it was not the driver of its decision to close Gove. Describing the decision to close the refinery outside Nhublunbuy as the hardest decision he has had to make in his life, Mr Walsh said the economics of the operation were hit by other factors such as the high Australian dollar. "Carbon tax is pressure on any energy intensive export industry," he said. "We are competing with similar industries overseas that weren't having to carry that in their saddle. But the Gove decision was on the basis of the...
Rio Tinto’s decision to shut its Gove alumina refinery in the Northern Territory will destroy the region, the Australian Workers union says. AWU National Secretary Paul Howes said the decision questions Rio’s social licence to mine. "We are talking about an entire town being destroyed here, $500 million wiped from the economy, and some of the most effective Indigenous employment and training programs in the country wiped out," Howes said. Howes said the decision to close the refinery hasn’t taken into account the long term effects on the Nhulunbuy town. "Rio's casual abandonment of an entire town due to short term market conditions is a complete disgrace. While the AWU doesn't doubt for a second that tough conditions exist, those conditions will - inevitably - change over time,” Howes...
Rio Tinto (RIO) was the FTSE 100's top performer for the second morning running on Friday after the mining major announced the suspension of production at its Gove alumina refinery. Chief executive Sam Walsh was applauded by investors for the decision, which he made because the refinery was deemed not to be viable in the current market environment. Situated in Northern Australia, dual-listed Rio Tinto will now work on the scope and phased timing of the suspension and prepare for all potential outcomes over coming months, the company said. Consultation with employees and the local community to minimise the impact of the change for Nhulunbuy and the region is ongoing. Rio will continue with its bauxite operations at the plant and is keen to establish a long-term plan for the production of...
Rio Tinto will move to suspend alumina production at Gove and focus on its bauxite operations after determining the refinery is no longer a viable business in the current market environment. Rio Tinto will now work on the scope and phased timing of suspension and prepare for all potential outcomes over coming months. Consultation with employees and the local community will be the priority as the company works closely with the Northern Territory Government, the Australian Government, Traditional Owners and all other stakeholders to minimise the impact of this change for Nhulunbuy and the region. Establishing a long-term plan for the bauxite operation and its employees will be the key to retaining a sustainable business in the local area. Rio Tinto chief executive Sam Walsh said “This is a...
Some aluminium smelters in China, the world's top producer and consumer of the metal, could in 2014 turn to spot shipments or short-term contracts for raw material alumina as the ratios used to calculate annual term contracts climb, trading sources said. Smelters are effectively betting on low spot prices for alumina, although - ironically - rising demand for spot imports could support prices for the raw material, in turn buying prices for aluminium that are stuck near 4-year lows. China churns out nearly enough alumina to meet its current aluminium-production needs, but more smelting capacity is expected to come online next year, making some smelters and traders keen to secure imports. About 2 tonnes of alumina are used to produce 1 tonne of metal. Global sellers had last month offered...
Alumina Limited boss John Bevan will step down at the end of December after more than five years with the company. Mr Bevan, who'll retire on December 31, will be replaced by Peter Wasow, who is currently a member of Alumina's board of directors and has held senior roles with Santos and BHP. The outgoing chief executive faced a first strike against his $2.2 million pay packet in May after more than 50 per cent of shareholders voted against the company's remuneration report. Shareholders said the salary was too high for what some regarded as a "post office" company that merely collects dividends. Alumina is among Australia's 100 largest companies but does not actually operate the bauxite, alumina and aluminium assets it co-owns with American giant Alcoa. Company chairman John Pizzey on...
On the last day of IBAAS-CHALIECO International Symposium on Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium in China; interesting papers on alternate routes of aluminium production and alternate source of aluminium were presented. The presentations on “Low Temperature Aluminium Carbothermic Smelting Process” by Gregory Smith of Calsmelt Pty Ltd, Australia and presentation on “A Potential Technology for Production of Aluminium and Alloys by Carbothermal Reduction of Bauxite” by Dr. Guangqing Zhang of University of Wollongong evoked widespread interest among delegates and intensive discussions took place on the latest development of this subject. Further papers on production of alumina from fly ash in the inner Mongolia by Gong Yanbing and paper on “Study on Alumina Extraction from Pulverized Fuel Ash by...
Guinea signed an accord with a unit of Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Development Co. to build an alumina refinery expected to attract an estimated $5 billion in foreign investment into the West African nation over eight years. Guinea, the world’s largest exporter of bauxite which makes aluminum, signed an agreement with Guinea Alumina Corp. Ltd., a joint venture owned by Mubadala and Dubai Aluminium Co. Ltd, Mubadala said in an e-mailed statement. “This agreement will deliver an estimated $5 billion of foreign investment into Guinea over the next eight years,” Lamine Fofana, Guinea minister of mines and geology, said in the statement. “The development plan will create at peak 14,000 direct and indirect jobs and contribute substantially to Guinea’s gross domestic product.” The agreement provides...
Global metals giant Rio Tinto looks likely to close its aging alumina refinery at Gove, in Australia's Northern Territory, three months after cutting a deal to keep its Tiwai Point smelter in New Zealand open until at least 2017. Australian media reports say the company has told NT and federal politicians there is no point in further negotiations over the smelter, which is adjacent to a bauxite mine, production from which is likely to be exported for smelting in the future. If confirmed, the news is bleak for jobs in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, with major impacts on Aboriginal employment and recriminations flying over whether the territory's government scuppered a possible deal by reducing its offer of discounted natural gas to run Gove, which can also operate on more...
Trafigura has outbid Glencore Xstrata in an auction for 32,000 tonnes of alumina offered for sale by bankrupt aluminium producer Ormet. Switzerland-based Trafigura and Ohio-based Ormet agreed to a purchase price of nearly $9 million, or $281 per tonne, according to a sales contract signed by executives from both companies. The deal came after a telephone auction between Trafigura and Switzerland-based Glencore on November 21, according to court documents. Ormet is seeking court approval for the sale, documents indicate. Glencore made an initial offer of $8.44 million, or $263.75 per tonne, only to see Trafigura increase the ante with a competing bid and forcing the auction. Ormet, which filed for bankruptcy protection in February, has said it is trying to sell what it considers to be...
ASX-listed Cape Alumina has halted work on its Pisolite Hills mine and port project, in Queensland, while a proposed merger with MetroCoal has also been called off. Earlier this week, the Queensland government announced plans to declare the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve and the Wenlock river on Cape York peninsula the region’s first-ever strategic environmental area, effectively killing the Pisolite Hills project. This was despite the fact that the previous government had declared the project a “significant project” in 2012. Cape Alumina MD Graeme Sherlock said on Friday that the decision to halt work on the Pisolite Hills project was a direct result of the Queensland government banning mining activities in the region. He added that the company would now review its legal rights and...
RIO Tinto Alcan will be fined between $30,000 and $50,000 after admitting it did not have the capacity to cope with a big flood at its red mud dam at Yarwun last year. Rio Tinto pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the breach of environmental obligations in Gladstone Magistrate's Court, with the resources giant and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection agreeing to a fine of between $30,000 and $50,000. As part of its obligations, Rio must have enough residue management area storage at its plant calculated based on expected rainfall from a one in 50-year, three-month-long wet season. However, an investigation by the department found progress on an upgrade was too slow. Rio has since met that capacity, and is on track to meet its 2013 capacity requirements. A final verdict in the...
Two of the world’s leading commodities players plan to set up ore refineries in Indonesia to take advantage of the country’s policy banning unprocessed ore exports, beginning next year. Senior executives of the two companies, the world’s fourth-biggest diversified miner, Glencore Xstrata, and the world’s biggest aluminum producer, United Company RUSAL, expressed their interest, respectively, to Industry Minister MS Hidayat and Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa during separate meetings on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters after meeting Glencore’s CEO Ivan Glasenberg, Hidayat said that the firm had already carried out a feasibility study on building facilities to process bauxite and nickel ore locally. He declined to elaborate on the size of the investments or the locations of the...
Vedanta Aluminium Ltd has commissioned a red mud powder producing unit at Lanjigarh refinery in Odisha, describing it as first of its kind in alumina industry tackling major environmental hazards. “The unique project of producing red mud powder has been commissioned in a fully mechanised and automatic plant. The system has been developed in-house after continuous research for more than three years,” a senior company official said in a statement today. Giving details of the project, Mukesh Kumar, President and COO, Vedanta Aluminium, said the project, which was commissioned last week, is the first of its kind in the world and has been set up with a capital expenditure of around Rs 50 crore. This will have advantages like savings in caustic consumption by 10-15 kg per tonne of alumina,...
